


The Pawsibility of Affection

by blackkat



Series: Plo Koon drabbles [2]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Transformation, Cats, Humor, M/M, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24833311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: There's a cat in the middle of Payback's medbay.
Relationships: Plo Koon/Payback (Original Clone Character)
Series: Plo Koon drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941628
Comments: 35
Kudos: 705





	The Pawsibility of Affection

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by a lovely anon on Tumblr, where it proceeded to _eat my brain_.

There's a cat in the medbay.

Payback pauses in the doorway, blinking, and can't help but take a look at his cup of caf, checking for additives. It’s his sixth cup of the morning, after all, and Sinker’s been known to threaten Payback’s caffeine supply before, though he’s normally clever enough not to carry through.

If there are hallucinogens in the brew, though, Payback can't tell at a glance. He raises his head again, shaking himself a little, but—

There really is a cat. It’s big and orange with odd ears that look folded down, and it’s watching Payback with bright, cheerful interest, perched on a biobed.

“Well, hello there, sweetheart,” Payback says, bemused, and steps forward, letting the door slide shut behind him. No one else is in the medbay, for once, but that doesn’t do anything to solve the mystery of where the cat came from, because Payback is absolutely sure that there wasn’t one on the ship before this.

The cat meows, inquisitive, and Payback snorts, crossing the bay to it. “What, here for a checkup?” he asks, offering it his hand, and sets his caf down. “That puts you head and shoulders above every other trooper on this bucket of bolts, beautiful.”

The cat chirps at him, then butts its head against his hand without hesitation. Payback smiles, scratching obediently at its folded ears, its cheeks, its chin, and gets a loud, rumbling purr for his efforts. It practically collapses against his fingers, and Payback laughs, scooping it up in his arms. It’s a generous armful, but it settles against his chest without fussing, apparently content to be manhandled as long as he doesn’t stop petting it, and Payback presses his cheek to thick, soft fur and hums.

“Well, gorgeous, looks like today’s my lucky day, isn't it?” Payback asks, and checks for a collar. There isn't one, and he raises a brow, pulling back a little to look the cat in the face. “You don’t exactly look like a stray to me. _Much_ too handsome, aren’t you, little man?”

If anything, that purr just increases in force, and Payback chuckles. When the cat twists in his arms, he loosens his grip, letting it leap back to the biobed, and then leans there next to it, watching it sniff at his uniform. It really is a handsome cat, big and sleek and muscular, like it’s used to being a predator, but its fur is glossy and it looks well-groomed. Definitely not a stray, Payback decides.

“At least if you’re here, someone can find you easily, Master Cat,” he says, and scratches it lightly between the ears. “And you can keep me company, right? I’ll need some cuddles after the general’s inspection.”

The cat looks up, wide yellow eyes fixed on Payback with unnerving intensity, all at once. Payback snorts softly, amused at himself more than anything, and scratches it gently under the chin. “Oh, don’t give me that look. General Koon is the best man in the GAR. It’s not a _bad_ thing, loving him.”

Just…kind of wistful sometimes. Payback doesn’t tend to mind it, though. Plo likes him, and he trusts Payback, and he’s always kind and cheerful even though he has to know about how Payback feels. The perils of serving with an empath, Payback thinks, smiling a little ruefully. Ah, well. It’s fun, being in love. Even if Plo doesn’t love him any more than he loves any other trooper under his command, it feels good. It’s _special_ , and it’s warm.

“Look at me, getting all sappy,” he says, amused. “Sorry, Master Cat. all my attention is yours, I promise.” He strokes down the cat’s back, then reaches for his caf.

Quick, gentle, the cat reaches out, laying its paw on the back of Payback’s hand. There are no claws, and there's hardly any force, but it carefully pushes Payback’s hand down, away from his mug. Looks up at him, wide-eyed, and meows firmly.

“Oh, _I_ see,” Payback says, with a tone of enlightenment, but he leaves the cup where it is, picks up the cat again instead and gives him a stern look. “You're an enemy agent, that’s how it is. A plant by Sergeant Sinker, I assume, here to sabotage my caf habits.”

The cat purrs loudly, looking cheerfully smug, and butts its head against Payback’s chin.

Payback sighs, loud and put-upon, though he can't quite hide his grin. “You win this time,” he tells it, and strokes down its long back as he crosses to his desk. A long string of notifications is waiting for him on his comm, and he blinks at them, a little surprised. He was only in the mess for _maybe_ ten minutes, after all.

“I know I'm invaluable, but that’s a lot of demands on my time,” he tells the cat, who meows, almost disapprovingly except for how it hasn’t stopped purring. Payback eyes him, a little bemused, but snorts and taps the first message, just as the medbay doors slide open.

“Payback,” Wolffe barks, the sharp tone that means he’s upset rather than the indignant tone that means Payback’s gotten under his skin again. “The general, was he here?”

Payback raises a brow, straightening, and doesn’t let go of the cat. In his medbay, he outranks everyone, and Wolffe didn’t even bother to knock. “No, sir,” he says. “Not yet. His inspection’s not scheduled for another hour.”

“You mean your teatime,” Wolffe says, a little sourly, and the cat chirps brightly.

“I always pass inspection. My methods are none of your business,” Payback says, unbothered, but he takes a closer look at Wolffe, taking in the lines of deep worry carving themselves into his face. At this rate, his hair is going to be as grey as Payback’s pretty soon. “The general isn't responding?”

Wolffe’s mouth tightens, and he takes a deliberate breath. “He didn’t come to the bridge this morning, and when I checked his quarters, his lightsaber and robes were still there,” he say flatly.

Something in Payback’s chest twists, and he takes a step forward, feeling the cat butt his chin again but hardly able to focus on it. “What about General Gallia?” he asks. “Did she feel anything? See him?”

“They were looking at the Sith artefacts we recovered from the crash site until late, and she hasn’t seen him since then,” Wolffe says grimly. “She was going to meet me here—”

Firm, insistent, the cat meows, and it wriggles out of Payback’s grip, leaping to the edge of his desk with a thump. It sits down, head cocked to look at Wolffe, then Payback, and meows again.

“Not right now, beautiful,” Payback tells it, reaching out to stroke its head. Before he can pull away, though, the cat reaches up, grabbing his wrist between both front paws, and drags his hand back to its head. Payback hesitates, torn between the urge to keep petting it and the need to find his general, who is _missing_ , and—

With a hiss, the doors slide open again, and Adi Gallia sweeps into the room, expression set in lines of deep concern, Odd Ball right at her heels. “Commander Wolffe,” she says. “Any word on Master Plo? I searched his quarters but didn’t find…anything…”

Violet eyes widen, and she comes to a sharp halt, staring at the cat.

“General,” Payback says, straightening, and doesn’t bother trying to pull his hand away again. “General Koon had an inspection scheduled for later, but I didn’t see him in the mess like I normally do.”

There's a long, long moment of silence. Adi’s brows are rising towards her hairline, something like humor slanting over her face. “No,” she says dryly. “I suppose you wouldn’t have. Plo Koon, what _did_ you touch after I left last night?”

Wolffe _chokes_.

The cat meows, perfectly unrepentant, and delicately catches Payback’s sleeve. It tugs— _he_ tugs, and Payback blinks down at him incredulously.

“ _General_?” he asks, but obediently scoops the cat up again, cradling him carefully against his chest. The cat chirps, very definitely a confirmation, and turns his gaze on Adi, meowing.

Adi props her hands on her hips, giving him an exasperated look. “I _told_ you not to do anything reckless, Plo,” she says. “The statue?”

Plo meows, and she sighs. “Well. You had better hope this is easily fixed, or Mace is going to laugh at you for _months_.”

Plo mews, delicate and bereaved, and Adi rolls her eyes. “Wait here,” she tells him firmly. “You had better hope that _true love’s kiss_ clause has a loophole, Master Koon, because you’ve broken far too many hearts over the years.”

Another meow, this one indignant, and Adi waves a hand. “Yes, I _know_ it wasn’t intentional. _Wait here_. Commander, can you let me into Plo's quarters again?”

Still looking like someone just smacked him over the head with a brick, Wolffe nods, tearing his eyes away from where Payback is cuddling their general. “Of course,” he says with all the dignity he can muster, and leads the way out of the medbay.

In the silence after the door slides shut, Payback looks down at Plo, who’s looking back at him with something patient and fond in his expression, visible even as a cat. Payback stares at him for a moment, then chuckles, taking a few steps back to pull himself up on the edge of a biobed, Plo in is lap.

“True love’s kiss, was it?” he asks, amused, and Plo makes a sound that’s vaguely regretful. “No, I'm glad you came to me, sir.” Carefully, he strokes Plo's head one more time, because he’s shameless, and then dips down, pressing a kiss right between his ears.

There's a ripple, a wash of crackling power that feels a little like electricity. It raises all the hairs on Payback’s arms, makes him twitch, but the air blurs, twists, _reforms_ , and suddenly there are hands on his elbows, holding him steady, a familiar body slumping forward. Quickly, Payback catches his general, holds Plo up as his head dips, his body bows, and feels a momentary flare of alarm.

“Sir? he asks. “General, I can help, just let me grab a scanner—”

“No, no, it’s simply the change in perspective,” Plo says, and from this close, his deep voice makes Payback want to shiver, even if he contains the urge. There's a long moment, and then Plo lifts his head, looking at Payback full-on.

 _Oh_ , Payback thinks, realizing that his secret is well and truly out now, even if he had plausible deniability before. Still, it was able to help, so he just leans back on his hands, deliberately letting go of his general, and says, “Forgive me for saying so, sir, but you make a kriffing cute cat.”

Plo chuckles, reaching up to straighten his mask and goggles. “And you, Lieutenant, are quite the cat person,” he returns, warm. It makes Payback snort, and he tips his head, looking Plo over with practiced assessment.

“Nothing out of order?” he asks.

“No, Payback, I am quite well.” Plo raises a hand, and Payback closes his eyes as those capped claws stroke lightly through his overly-long hair, smoothing back a few strands where they're about to fall into his face. When he manages to summon the will to open them again, Plo is smiling, eyes crinkled beneath his goggles. “Returning the favor,” he says cheerfully.

Payback laughs before he can help himself, and gives Plo a lazy grin. “I think there was a bit more petting on my end,” he points out, and Plo chuckles.

“Call me old-fashioned, but I believe in dinner at the very least before we go that far,” he says, and Payback’s breath catches, disbelief flickering.

Gentle, so gentle, Plo's claws curve in his hair, and he pulls Payback forward, tapping their foreheads together. A Keldabe kiss, Payback thinks, and something hot flashes through him as he leans into it, closing his eyes again, reaching out. Plo catches his hands, squeezing gently, and says, “Thank you, Payback.”

It could be for anything, for everything. Payback smiles, squeezing his fingers in return, and says, “No wonder you didn’t let me drink my caf.”

Plo laughs, raising his head. “Sinker has been _most_ concerned,” he says, and he’s still smiling. It makes something hot curl up through Payback’s chest, simple and happy. “I think he’ll be pleased to know I can distract you.”

Payback rolls his eyes. “We’ll see about that,” he says, and pulls Plo into another Keldabe kiss, just because he can.


End file.
